GENEVA (Dec. 19, 2012) — The situation facing Syrian refugees is rapidly deteriorating, Save the Children warned today, as the UN announced it was appealing for $1 billion to help the growing number of refugees.

"The number of refugees now far outstrips what was predicted at the beginning of the year. Many of these are families who fled with nothing through the most appalling conflict, and their children are facing a harsh winter without proper shelter and clothing," said Mike Penrose, Save the Children's humanitarian director.

"The scale of the UN appeal reflects how serious this situation has become, and all the predictions are that it will get a lot worse. The challenge now is finding donors willing to step up and fund this; unless they do, hundreds of thousands of refugees will not get the lifesaving help they need."

Save the Childrenis the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in more than 120 countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities. In times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. Follow us onTwitterandFacebook.

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